Samsung's Flexible Phone Concept Is Folding F'Ugly

So curved phones, for better or worse, are a real thing now. And while their sloping displays may (may) make for a more comfortable fit in the pocket, they're still no smaller than the ever-increasing-in-size non-curved smartphones. A folding phone however, depending on your origami skills, could fit just about anywhere.

That's the idea behind this new Samsung concept, showing the potential for flexible displays, making their first tentative steps towards the mainstream in the Samsung Galaxy Round. Not unlike a super-thin flip phone, the concept looks not unlike a small matchbox, folding out over three squares -- one showing the active caller's photo, the middle part showing call details, and the bottom square offering phone controls.

The concept is a solid one -- this is a phone that could in theory fit inside a wallet, rather than alongside it in a pocket. It's a shame then that it looks so boring -- minimal isn't the word! Just look at all that wasted white space. Of course, we're some way off from this becoming a reality (we're still figuring out how to make bendy batteries and circuitry to run through the folds), so at least Samsung has the time to come up with a more eye-catching UI. [OLED.at via Ubergizmo]